Sinner suffers worst loss by ranking since 2023
Jannik Sinner's Wimbledon preparations suffered a blow as the world number one lost to 47th-ranked Alexander Bublik in the Halle Open second round.Defending champion Sinner lost 3-6 6-3 6-4 to Kazakhstan's Bublik - his worst defeat by ranking since August 2023.It is the first time Sinner has lost to someone other than world number two Carlos Alcaraz since August 2024.The loss also ended the Italian's 66 match-winning streak against opponents outside of the top 20.French Open champion Coco Gauff also suffered a surprise defeat in her first match of the grass-court season, losing 6-3 6-3 to China's Wang Xinyu at the Berlin Open.World number 48 Wang ended Gauff's seven-match winning run just 12 days after her Roland Garros triumph.
Elsewhere in Berlin, world number one Aryna Sabalenka beat Swiss Rebeka Masarova 6-2 7-6 (8-6) in a match that took place across two days.The Belarusian took the first set on Wednesday before bad light forced play to be suspended.Sabalenka, beaten by Gauff in the French Open final, returned on Thursday and came back from a break down to wrap up a straight-set win.Sabalenka will face Kazakh Elena Rybakina in the quarter-finals after the former Wimbledon champion beat Czech Katerina Siniakova 6-4 7-6 (7-5).Marketa Vondrousova, who won the Wimbledon title in 2023, beat Russian Diana Shnaider 6-3 6-7 (3-7) 6-3.Elsewhere at the Halle Open, Russian Andrey Rublev was another big name to fall, failing to convert two match points in a 3-6 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (8-6) loss to Argentine Tomas Martin Etcheverry.But German world number three Alexander Zverev recovered to beat Italian Lorenzo Sonego 3-6 6-4 7-6 (7-2).
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Luke Humphries follows Luke Littler in hitting back at former World Darts champion after ‘let country down' jibe
LUKE HUMPHRIES has followed the lead of Luke Littler and hit back at Dennis Priestley's explosive claims that the pair 'let their country down' following an early World Cup exit. Two-time world champion Priestley, 74, slammed world No.1 Humphries and reigning world champion Littler for losing in the second round to hosts Germany last weekend. 2 2 It was their first appearance together in the team format but disappointingly the pair were beaten 8-4 by Martin Schindler and Ricardo Pietreczko amid a cacophony of boos from the Frankfurt crowd. The English duo were red-hot favourites to claim the title heading into the event. But Wales star Gerwyn Price said that the two Lukes did not arrive together nor spend enough time in each other's company – and essentially failed to gel behind the scenes. That shock defeat came the day after it was announced the two Englishman – the top two on the world rankings – were going to receive recognition in the King's Birthday Honours List. Straight-talking Yorkshireman Priestley also said in his chat with bookmakers OLBG that neither player had 'done enough to earn their MBEs just yet'. Cool Hand Luke, 30, lifted the World Cup crown with Michael Smith in 2024 and has vowed to return next year with The Nuke by his side. The former world champion said on his social media account: 'Disappointing to hear a top former pro who I admired say such a damaging thing to me and Luke. 'I didn't let my country down last year though, did I? JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS 'One bad game for us and we will back next year to go again. Let's move on now.' On Thursday, Littler screenshotted an article that contained the quotes and captioned it up as saying: 'Don't deserve an MBE but done more in 12 months than he ever did … Being made an MBE shows I've helped 'change face of darts' says Luke Humphries 'That's what I would say anyway.' That message was later deleted off his Instagram Stories. Littler is the most recognisable figure in the sport and his Instagram account mushroomed to 1.9 million followers shortly after he burst on to the scene in December 2023. His next appearance on the oche will be at the bet365 US Darts Masters, which will be held on June 27-28 at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York.
BreakingNews.ie
2 hours ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Jannik Sinner to release duet with Andrea Bocelli
World number one Jannik Sinner is to release a duet with famous Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli. The song, Polvere e Gloria (meaning Dust And Glory), features three-time grand slam champion Sinner repeating parts of his winning and losing speeches, which he recorded at Bocelli's studio in Tuscany. Advertisement Sinner said: 'I am very happy and honoured to be part of this project with Andrea, who for 30 years has been a unique and extraordinary voice, a flag for our country in the rest of the world. Jannik Sinner in action at the US Open in 2024 (Alamy/PA) 'I could never have imagined hearing my voice in one of his songs. It's extremely moving.' The track will be released on June 20 and features both Italian and English lyrics. The accompanying music video features personal and archive images from the duo's childhoods, along with scenes filmed as they collaborated at Bocelli's estate. Advertisement Andrea Bocelli sings alongside Claudio Ranieri to celebrate Leicester's Premier League title win (Nick Potts/PA) Sinner is the first Italian to top either the men's or women's singles world rankings in tennis. Bocelli began his career in 1994 and has performed at major events across the world including the Olympic Games and the World Cup. He performed while stood alongside Leicester boss Claudio Ranieri as the Foxes celebrated their Premier League title success in May 2016 and also sang out the show on Gary Lineker's final Match of the Day appearance.
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
Why Hugo Ekitike is hot property in the summer transfer window
Alexander Isak is a man in demand this summer. Liverpool and Arsenal have been linked with the Swede. It would take a monumental bid to convince Newcastle to sell their prized asset, and for good reason. Isak scored 23 goals in the Premier League in the season just finished; only Mohamed Salah (29) scored more. With few, if any, clubs prepared to match Newcastle's reported £150m asking price, those keen on Isak could do worse than make a move for a striker whose style is eerily similar to that the Sweden international. An Isak-lite, if you will. Hugo Ekitike is hot property on the forward market after he enjoyed a fine campaign for Eintracht Frankfurt, scoring 15 times and providing eight assists. Omar Marmoush took the plaudits in the first half of the season, but the Egyptian's £59m move to Manchester City in January allowed Ekitike to step out of the shadows and into the spotlight. The 22-year-old flourished with the added responsibility of leading the line for Eintracht, which was especially impressive given that they changed from a two-man striker approach to playing Ekitike as a lone frontman. Most of the top clubs in England are in the market for a player who can lead the line, so it's no surprise that Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United have all been credited with an interest in Ekitike. After an indifferent spell with PSG, the young Frenchman's development is very much back on track in Germany. What stands out about Ekitike is not just his goals return, but the variety of ways with which he can hurt teams. His eight assists this season stemmed from 44 key passes, the 24th best return in the Bundesliga. His desire and ability to bring others into play will appeal to buying clubs. Managers no longer want their forwards to just put the ball in the back of the net, but to act as selflessly as possible, whether that means providing chances for others or drifting to the flanks to open up space for wide forwards. The 23-year-old (who is celebrating his birthday this week) does this to a high standard. He likes to pull out wide to allow wingers to cut inside and wreak havoc upon defences. Arsenal and Liverpool, whose wide forwards love to cut in on their stronger feet, would certainly benefit from this approach. When Ekitike pulls wide, he has the requisite low centre of gravity to take on defenders. At 6ft 3in, he has good feet for a big man. Ekitike completed the sixth most dribbles (52) in Germany's top tier this term. Not only does he look to put opponents on the back foot but his hold-up play and dribbling help to alleviate pressure on his own team's goal. He can also press well. Having won possession in the attacking third 20 times – the 11th highest in the Bundesliga – his ability with the ball at his feet, combined with his desire to press hard and high, adds to the young striker's appeal. That said, Ekitike is far from the finished product, which shouldn't come as a shock given his age and relative lack of experience at the very top level. He is confident in front of goal – he took more shots (117) than any other player in the Bundesliga this season – but his finishing did not always match his ambition. Only Serhou Guirassy (25.41) and Harry Kane (23.29) generated more xG than Ekitike (22.55); the issue was that Ekitike's xG underperformance of 7.55 was far and away the largest in the league. A lack of composure in the final third shouldn't come as a surprise given his age but it is an area in which he needs to improve to fulfil his potential. Manchester United fans may be wary of their club signing another striker who needs a lot of chances to score given their frustrations with Rasmus Højlund this season. Time, though, is very much on Ekitike's side. With the right coaching, his xG underperformance should come down. If he maintains his current approach, and does not dip in confidence like Højlund, he should be more than capable of scoring at least 20 league goals per season from here on out. With a number of high-profile strikers on the market this summer – Viktor Gyökeres, Benjamin Sesko, Victor Osimhen and Rodrygo may leave for pastures new this summer – Ekitike could be part of a major transfer merry-go-round across the continent. Given he may be available for as little as £60m, he is perhaps the best value-for-money frontman in Europe. The rough edges need smoothing but his style of play and ability to operate on his own or with a partner means he should be high on the wishlists of Europe's powerhouse sides. This is an article by WhoScored
